How have we got to this point? Open / Close

The M275 is the major route providing access to the heart of the city. The M275 suffers significant congestion, the road network within the city centre creates a poor quality environment.

It is not ideal for any road user, creates barriers which make it difficult to access several parts of the centre, and subdivides major parcels of land.

Major growth is planned for the city centre, however this is based on delivering this road project. Without it there will be insufficient capacity in the network to support growth with land that could be developed remaining fragmented.

A new road layout will offer an ideal opportunity to improve the area for all road users but particularly to increase public transport priority, create routes that bring pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers into the heart of Commercial Road. It could also improve the connectivity of the city centre, allowing easy access to the whole centre and opening up a number of sites for development.

Creating a high quality and safe environment that should increase the appeal of the area as a place to invest, work, live and spend leisure time.

Portsmouth is seeking a transformational change to the city centre to enable it to perform a pivotal role in delivering the growth and increased productivity that the city needs to achieve. The proposed scheme will use the investment in the infrastructure as a catalyst for securing jobs, homes and a sustainable future for the city.

What are the project objectives? Open / Close

The proposals are designed to ensure that people and goods are able to get into the city with ease, open up the potential for development in the city and encourage people to use alternative modes of transport by improving access to public transport, whilst improving public spaces and quality of the city centre environment.

The main objectives of the proposals are to:

Minimise traffic congestion into the city centre and improve the reliability of journey times

Prioritise cyclists and pedestrians at junctions and crossing points

Simplify the road network to make it easier for residents, business and visitors to enter the city

Open up significant areas of land for potential new development and public space

Improve the quality of the environment and create a sense of place

How does it fit with our city vision? Open / Close

The City Centre Road Project is a vital part of our vision for Portsmouth, which we are setting out in the Local Plan.

The current Local Plan contains policies for the development and protection of land and allocates land for new development or for the re-development of existing buildings.

The Local Plan identifies a protected line for the road realignment of the city centre road.

We are at the early stages of this process and have prepared an ‘issues and options’ document, which sets out our understanding of the planning issues concerning the city, and options for how we deal with them.

There are also supporting documents giving further detail on different subjects, such as housing and the environment.

How will cyclists and pedestrians benefit? Open / Close

The proposed highways improvements promote junction layouts that prioritise cyclists and pedestrians and therefore improve the environment for non-motorised users.

The proposed road system is designed to reduce the number of roundabout junctions and create more better managed routes for traffic accessing the city centre.

It is also designed to divert through traffic away from existing residential areas and improve the environment for residents and pedestrians using the area.

Our proposals are designed to simplify the road network, making it easier to use for residents, businesses and visitors to the city, whilst opening up significant areas of potential development land, which could create new retail and employment opportunities for Portsmouth.

Will the project improve public transport? Open / Close

The proposed road scheme provides dedicated bus lanes and routes that allow buses to pass through the city centre core unimpeded by private vehicles and through traffic. Therefore delivering public transport to the heart of the city, increasing accessibility of the services and potentially securing a more sustainable future for the city. The scheme will also promote the expansion of patronage of the Park and Ride, as buses operating from the site will be able to take advantage of routes that deliver people closer to the likely final destinations within the city centre.

How will the project improve traffic flow? Open / Close

The aim is to reduce the impact of future traffic increases on the local road network by prioritising walking, cycling and the use of public transport.

A key feature of the proposals is the realignment of the A3 route around Victory Retail Park making it a dual carriageway, to improve journey reliability, ease congestion and join potential land parcels currently subdivided by the network back together opening up new unrealised development land.

This means that the existing A3 route through Church Street Roundabout and Marketway Roundabout will be converted to traffic signal junctions, which will maintain and better manage access to the city centre and improve routes for local residents.

Environmental impact assessment and landscaping opportunities Open / Close

The planning application will include a thorough environmental impact assessment. Information on the various areas this will cover, including noise, air quality and heritage, are available in the 'plans for environmental impact assessment and landscaping opportunities' document below.

The document also contains details about several opportunities to improve some of the nearby public spaces with new landscaping and create some new public spaces.

Have your say and next steps Open / Close

We ran a public consultation from 11 October to 2 November 2017 with public information sessions in Cascades Shopping Centre and displays in the Civic Offices reception and the café area of 1000 Lakeside, North Harbour.

Feedback received resulted in several changes including improved and purpose built cycle routes through the city centre; a new cycle route on the eastern side of the proposed dual carriageway; improved access to Victory Retail Park and improved access to car parks in Church Street. Further details of feedback is in the Statement of Community Engagement included with the planning application. The project team will set out how the proposed scheme responds to and addresses (where possible) common issues raised by the local community and stakeholders.